Jazz · 2000

Get Happy

Experience Art Tatum's unparalleled piano virtuosity. This album showcases his dazzling technique, complex harmonies, and joyful swing.

2000 · Black Lion Records

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Art Tatum's "Get Happy" is a masterclass in jazz piano, a thrilling journey through the mind of one of music's most technically gifted and harmonically adventurous improvisers. This album pulses with an infectious energy, as Tatum takes familiar melodies and transforms them into intricate tapestries of sound. His playing is a constant revelation, a blend of lightning-fast runs, sophisticated chord voicings, and an unwavering rhythmic drive that makes every track feel like a spontaneous, joyous creation.

Moments Worth Listening For

The dizzying speed and precision of Art Tatum's right-hand runs during the bridge of any uptempo standard, a cascade of notes that defies belief.

The unexpected harmonic substitutions and reharmonizations that transform familiar melodies into fresh, complex landscapes, often in the second chorus.

The powerful, rhythmic left-hand stride patterns that anchor the most intricate improvisations, providing a bedrock of swing while the right hand soars.

Moments where Tatum briefly slows the tempo, allowing a single, perfectly voiced chord or a tender melodic phrase to resonate before launching back into a flurry of notes.

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